Prokofiev: "Romeo & Juiiet" (Selection from Suites 1&2) Yoel Levi / The Cleveland Orchestra, 1984.

Prokofiev composed the original ballet music in 1935 and revised it in 1940. He made three concert suites of the music, out of which a selection of 11 titles has been chosen on this record. I've made some adjustments to the soundscape. 0:01 Montagues And Capulets 5:21 Juliet as Child 9:29 Folk Dance 15:52 Mask 16:11 Friar Lawrence 18:57 Dance 22:00 Romeo & Juliet 28:55 Death of Tybalt 33:39 Romeo At Juliet's Before Parting 41:52 Dance Of The Antilles Girls 44:05 Romeo At The Grave Of Juliet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_and_Juliet_(Prokofiev) "This 1983 Romeo & Juliet excerpts disc makes its reappearance as part of Telarc’s midline Classics series. It’s remarkable how solidly warm and full it sounds nearly 20 years later (in spite of slightly rolled-off high frequencies), especially compared to the often glassy contemporaneous efforts of the major labels. Telarc had its digital act together right from the beginning! Yoel Levi offers a spare 50 minutes of selections from Prokofiev’s ever-enchanting ballet, but he’s partnered by the Cleveland Orchestra, which provides brilliant, highly-polished playing throughout. Levi can be a little on the cool side, as in his brisk, matter-of-fact pacing of Montagues and Capulets, but overall he gives an effective account of the score. However, Lorin Maazel’s complete recording with this very same orchestra (in even more impressive form) is available on a Decca Double for only a few dollars more, albeit in less luxurious but perfectly enjoyable sound. Neeme Järvi’s excellent single disc of all three Suites also is a great value. But hey, maybe 50 minutes of R&J is all you need–in which case this handsomely recorded disc will fill the bill quite nicely." https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-8217/ The young Romanian conductor, Yoel Levi, was Resident Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1980 to 1984. This splendid Prokofiev recording made at the end of his residency serves to demonstrate what a striking rapport he developed with one of America's finest orchestras during that period. Indeed, the orchestral playing throughout is superb, combining finesse with phrasing of great beauty, crisply clean ensemble with rhythmic bounce. The recording is one of Telarc's most spectacular, with radiant string timbres, and with its wide dynamic range reflected to the full in the playing. The contrasts between power and delicacy are demonstrated immediately in the opening section, ''Montagues and Capulets'', and throughout there is much engaging subtlety of texture in the pianissimo playing. The early cameo of ''The young Juliet'' has a delightful innocence, while the short characteristic dances have fine rhythmic spirit and are nicely pointed. But it is in the passionate eloquence of the great pas de deux, that Levi shows his absolute grip on this score, and ''Romeo and Juliet'' and ''Romeo and Juliet before parting'' produce some very moving string playing. The finale has a proper feeling of apotheosis with the final chord quite magical in its elegiac feeling. A superb disc, superbly recorded—easily the best single CD that combines excerpts from both suites.' https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/prokofiev-suites-from-romeo-juliet-0